Just know which routes and aircraft have the carrier’s new seats.
American is slated to complete its Business Class seat upgrade on most seats in 2017, replacing angled-flat seats with bona fide flatbeds. Until then, it pays to know which routes and flights have the new seats, so you get the most for your money.
Let’s take Chicago-London on May 1 as an example. Flight AA86/AA90 is a B767-300 and AA46/AA98 a B777-200. The fares and miles required for an award are identical, but only AA86/AA90 have the new seat.
Airlines tend to install new seats by aircraft model, so here's a rundown of the American fleet as the roll-out stands now.
Sure Bets: On international routes, B777-300ERs, B787s, B767-300s, A330-200s, and A330-300s.
[table_opt id="5154" style="gray-header" alignment="thleft" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="all"]
Chancy: B777-200s; only some have the new seat. Here's the key clue: If the plane has a First Class cabin, then Business Class still has the old seat. If there's no First Class cabin, then the plane has the new flatbed.
The B777-200 flight below (New York-London) doesn't have a First Class cabin, so you get the flatbed.
Whereas the B777-200 on Miami-Buenos Aires (below) does have a First Class cabin, Business Class is yet to be refurbished.
Here's how to double check your flight: Look at the seat map. The new seats are in a 1x2x1 layout, the old in a 2x3x2 layout.
New seat in a 1x2x1 cabin layout:
Old seat in a 2x3x2 cabin layout:
Sure Loser: B757s, which AA for example uses on NY-Paris. Go for the 767-300.
How to see the aircraft type on AA.com using New York-Paris as an example.
Step 1: Request the “Business/First” cabin on the “Find Flights” page.
Step 2: On the “Choose Flights” page, click on the “+” next to the AA flight number to see the aircraft type.
The screenshot below indicates that the B777-200 doesn't have a First Class cabin (AA flight 44), so the plane has the flat-bed, whereas flight 120, a B757—an aircraft with no new seat, does not.
Here is more on AA’s new seat.
Just know which routes and aircraft have the carrier’s new seats.
American is slated to complete its Business Class seat upgrade on most seats in 2017, replacing angled-flat seats with bona fide flatbeds. Until then, it pays to know which routes and flights have the new seats, so you get the most for your money.
Let’s take Chicago-London on May 1 as an example. Flight AA86/AA90 is a B767-300 and AA46/AA98 a B777-200. The fares and miles required for an award are identical, but only AA86/AA90 have the new seat.
Airlines tend to install new seats by aircraft model, so here's a rundown of the American fleet as the roll-out stands now.
Sure Bets: On international routes, B777-300ERs, B787s, B767-300s, A330-200s, and A330-300s.
[table_opt id="5154" style="gray-header" alignment="thleft" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="all"]
Chancy: B777-200s; only some have the new seat. Here's the key clue: If the plane has a First Class cabin, then Business Class still has the old seat. If there's no First Class cabin, then the plane has the new flatbed.
The B777-200 flight below (New York-London) doesn't have a First Class...